By Natasha
June 12 2007

Sir Frank Williams hailing McLaren’s rookie as ‘phenomenal’ after he secured his first win on Sunday. I’m not saying Sir Frank Williams is wrong, but we just need some perspective, and although Sunday showed what an amazing talent Lewis is, and how much of a natural he is already, we have yet to see how Lewis Hamilton responds to adversity, for me that is when the true test of character comes.

Lewis Hamilton is not over rated, he is just over hyped.

He is not overrated, because to think someone is over rated, is to assess or think too highly of something or someone; to overestimate it or them. 

But he is overhyped, because he is being over publicised to the excess, but thankfully it is not by his own camp so to speak, but from the bandwagon effect of British journalism. 

Ok the ‘soccer papers’ are going delirious, they are flying the British flag, taking a few digs at the team along the way, with one red top saying it would have been a back to back victory for Lewis Hamilton, *insert your own roll of the eyes here*

Sir Frank Williams hailing McLaren’s rookie as ‘phenomenal’ after he secured his first win on Sunday.

Just to throw some caution, I distinctly remember Sir Frank Williams saying similar about a certain Kimi Raikkonen, and draw your own conclusions here.

I’m not saying Sir Frank Williams is wrong, but we just need some perspective, and although Sunday showed what an amazing talent Lewis is, and how much of a natural he is already, we have yet to see how Lewis Hamilton responds to adversity, for me that is when the true test of character comes.

Also would these ‘soccer papers’ really stand by their man when or if things go wrong, which lets face it, in life we all have up’s and down’s. they are very fickle, quick enough to drop Jenson Button and turn nasty, yet when he won last year, he was gracing front and back pages of the ‘soccer papers’.  Remember in all honesty Lewis is sitting in one of the best cars in the F1 paddock, he has been blessed, a rookie very rarely would find themselves in a car capable of winning from day one.

The fact that he is sitting there show’s Ron Dennis’ and the teams faith in the boy, but reading some of the press coverage of the maiden victory, likening him to Schumacher and even Senna, really amuses me.

Let’s all take a massive dose of reality, now in modern day F1, if you have a competent driver and a car that can win races, chances are you will win a race. Right before people think, she is mad, read on, however Lewis is a real racer, and he is something special, but let’s be honest Lewis has not, and probably will not ever produce a Monaco 1984 result, and for all the younger fans amongst us, I suggest if you ever get a chance to see a re-run of the race, see it, it is the most mesmerizing race I have ever seen in F1 and i think in F1 ever!

Not only was it David Vs Goliath, with Prost in the McLaren and Senna in the Toleman, it was one of the best (rain or no rain) performances by any F1 racer, and Senna was a rookie in F1 too.

Now not only was Senna in the Toleman, it was his rookie season, and his car had no chance of winning, BUT because he was such a fierce natural super aggressive talent, and coupled with rain, he danced around the streets of Monte Carlo and won that race, only for the stewards to count back and award the race to Prost, although if anyone watched F1 back then, we all know this was a start of a political battle between Senna and Balestre via Alain Prost.

Now I’m not bringing this up to take anything away from Lewis Hamilton, I’m just merely bringing this up, to remind people, that let us not get carried away. Lewis is fortunate that he is in one of the best car’s in his debut season, and he has yet to experience any hardship thus far, like every McLaren fan I was pleased for Hamilton, and I think he deserved the victory. I do think he is signalling the new F1 era, but likening him to people like Schumacher and Senna is too early, he may win more titles than Schumacher, he may even eventually be regarded as the best F1 driver, even ahead of the late great Senna, but all I am saying only time will tell, we can not make that assumption after six races.

On a final note, I have found Lewis’ debut season super impressive, and he now has a real chance of winning the world drivers championship, but for me I think Senna’s debut was far more impressive because he did it with a car no one expected much from.